Huff: We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect first race

Rob Huff went from WTCC MAC3 start zero to race-winning hero when he took his first FIA World Touring Car Championship victory in 504 days at Circuit Paul Ricard on Sunday.

On his debut appearance for the factory Honda team, Huff took the lead from pole-sitter Hugo Valente at the start of the Opening Race and was never headed.

As well as increasing his tally of WTCC career wins to 28, the Briton’s success more than cancelled out the sluggish start he made in the inaugural Manufacturers Against the Clock team trial on Saturday, which ultimately cost Honda a shot at topping the Tour de France-inspired event.

“I put my hands up, I made a mistake on saturday and I think more importantly I made it right on sunday,” Huff said. “I’d rather have done it that way around rather than the opposite way around for sure. Twenty-five points in the bag and I think as a team being one, three and four we couldn’t have asked for a more perfect first race.”

Of his much-improved getaway in the Opening Race, Huff said: “I managed to get a fantastic start, jumped Hugo, and I think really from Turn 1 I made a gap and after two or three laps just managed to hold the gap to Mehdi [Bennani]. The car was absolutely fantastic so a huge thanks to Castrol Honda and the team.”